Lighting the way with solar in Queensland

Posted on November 2, 2012 at 5:58 pm.

Friday, November 2, 2012

The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads has certified the Carmanah EG series outdoor solar lighting system for roadway lighting across the state, and has selected the authorized Carmanah distributor for Australia, Orion Solar, as supplier.

The selection follows the Queensland Government’s installation of ten Carmanah EG320 solar LED outdoor lighting systems in early 2012. The EG series, launched by Carmanah in 2011, was designed to address a growing need for high performance and reliable off-grid lighting, Carmanah says.

“The EG series eliminates the need to trench cable, a required cost of alternating current-powered lighting, making the lights an ideal solution for roadways and areas where infrastructure is unavailable or costly to access,” Carmanah says. “With the use of LED luminaires, the maintenance costs for a solar-powered solution are lower than traditional lighting, and the energy costs are zero.”

Configured specifically for the locations in which they are deployed, EG series systems use optimal solar insolation values for an installed location, resulting in smaller systems and reduced product costs.

Other states are set to follow Queensland’s example of going solar; VicRoads is currently trialing the EG series for use on Victorian roads.

Carmanah and Orion have responded to an increased demand for solar-powered public lighting with illumination levels that will meet Australian standards, and Orion is now helping many local councils to meet public area lighting needs where grid connection is expensive or difficult to provide.

Orion Solar General Manager Richard Holliday says “Australia presents many challenges when considering outdoor lighting, including the remoteness of service locations, unreliable grid power and a reliance on generator equipment.

“At the same time, equipment must be able to withstand the wide range of temperature and environmental extremes. The market is looking for a light that works unabated through any extreme and functions reliably for years. The EG series is the technology that answers these challenges.”